Septimius Severus AR Denarius (Palladium, RIC IV 68)

SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS, AD 193-211
AR Denarius (18.10mm, 3.82g, 12h)
Struck AD 195-196. Rome mint
Obverse: L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP VII, laureate head of Septimius Severus right
Reverse: P M TR P III COS II P P, Minerva standing left, holding transverse spear and round shield (i.e., Palladium.)
References: RIC IV 68, RCV 6326 var. (titular dates)

Lightly toned. Struck on a heavy flan. The reverse of this coin depicts the Palladium - an archaic wooden cult statue of Athena, said to have been carried off from Troy by Aeneas, the legendary founder of Rome. The statue was kept in the Temple of Vesta.

Sammlung : Roman Imperial - the Severan Era